[Winona Online Democracy]
In response to Kathy Seifert's suggestion that we share knowledge of
tax-funded programs that are being cut or eliminated:
Local coverage has focused on programs in danger of losing County funding
(Women's Resource Center, Historical Society, Project FINE, etc.) In
addition, federal cuts have hit the local level in the area of job training
and other vocational services.
One specific area that I know about is a Youth Employment program that has
provided summer jobs and school year training for at-risk teens,
coordinated through the Workforce Center. Several years ago, as many as 20
or 30 teens were involved in the summer program, while this past summer
they were cut back to serving only 2 or 3 kids. This program has been a
great way for economically disadvantaged teens to get support and training
while learning to become successful in the workplace. It's especially
unfortunate that these cuts have taken place at the same time as the
extreme tightening of the job market. At the same time, the local school
district has also cut back on vocational programming for special needs
students! Does this have implications for all of us in terms of crime,
chemical use, domestic violence? Ya think?!
I think Craig Brooks is right on target in pointing out that the most hard
hit in loss of services are and will continue to be people who do not have
much political voice or leverage. Low income teens would be one of those
groups.
We of course continue to hear rhetoric from the tax-cut zealots of the
Pawlenty camp to the effect that we all want to believe and live out the
American dream of financial independence and economic success. We all have
to tighten our belts, right?
What they don't tell us is that the kids from Hidden Valley or Maplewood
Homes or Frogtown (inner city St Paul) don't stand a chance of keeping up
with the kids from Eden Prairie or Edina (or even Valley Oaks I suppose)
and that, by abandoning the attempt to narrow the gap, we are abandoning
those kids who rely on government to do the right thing.
Does anyone know where a person could get one of those yardsigns that says
"Willing to Pay for a Better Minnesota"? There are a lot of them around the
Cities but I haven't seen many in Winona. I'd be willing to buy a bunch of
them and distribute them, if I knew the source.
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"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."
Zora Neale Hurston
sent by:
Scott Lowery
461 Sunnyview Drive, Rollingstone MN 55969
home phone: (507)689-4532
school phone: (507)454-9573
home email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
school email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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